Plagued With Memories
by VanillaAshes
Summary: After defeating Ultron, everybody settled down. Natasha settled down with the new Avengers to assist training them alongside Steve Rogers. However, after being plagued by nightmares, she has to wonder if her whole life has been a lie. It's time that Natasha figured out exactly who she really was.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

 **Tilts hat. Hello there, here's a short story from me to you, it's only a few chapters long!**

* * *

Natasha looked at all of the new Avengers recruits. They came together very differently than the original group and were chosen differently, as well- Steve, Tony and Bruce were all chosen for different reasons. Thor was there because of Loki and along the way he was branded as an Avenger. Clint's mind was controlled, and she was called in to help him. But after all of that was done, they had stayed.

The four individuals in front of them had already worked together- to a certain degree- and were officially the only members of the team who explicitly chose to join instead of being chosen. Although, Tony would comment, Vision was _made_ for the team.

With the original Avengers going their separate ways- Thor and Clint returning home, Bruce… disappearing off of the face of the planet, and Tony taking a step back- it left Steve and Natasha to train the new recruits. Then again, from what she had seen, they didn't need that much training- but they were doing the Avengers differently from how S.H.I.E.L.D had done with them.

The Avengers are a team, and they are in charge of themselves.

"Avengers…" Steve started, his mouth still open. "As you are all aware, I am team captain, and Natasha is co-captain." He stated, nodding his head at Nat. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to come to us."

All four of them nodded, but Natasha silently wished he hadn't just said that- she didn't want anybody coming to her for something stupid.

"You all have your own room here for the duration of your training, and we'll be taking it day by day." He finished before dismissing them.

Rhodey and Vision immediately walked off together as Sam approached Steve. Natasha looked at Wanda as the younger woman approached her. "Is Clint not coming?" Wanda asked.

Natasha knew Wanda didn't know about Clint's family, and she couldn't tell her. "No- he has other matters to attend to, but I'm sure he'll be dropping by on occasion and helping out on some missions."

Wanda nodded. "Okay."

"How about we go and get ourselves something to eat? Before Steve decides to give another motivational speech." Natasha offered, remembering that Wanda had just lost her brother not too long ago and Clint was the person she knew the most. She needed a friend.

Wanda smiled. "Good idea."

They headed off to the kitchen, Wanda looking lost the whole way.

* * *

Natasha headed to bed pretty late in the evening- especially seeing as she was meeting Steve at 5:40 in the kitchen the next morning. She slipped into her bed and closed her eyes, letting sleep take over. The last thing she expected was to have a dream- or worse, a nightmare disguised as a memory. At least, in _her_ opinion, that's what it was.

* * *

 _The six-year-old yawned as she rested her head on her dad's shoulder. She held onto him a little tighter as he carried her through the dark and cold Russian night._

 _Her eyes drooped closed as she drifted off to sleep; she didn't know it would be her last peaceful and safe sleep for years._

 _The young girl's eyes fluttered open as she was placed on her feet; she leant against her dad for support as she looked around, confused. Her bright green eyes landed on the man standing in front of her._

" _Hello, I'm Ivan," he greeted, kneeling down to her level and holding out one hand._

"' _Talia," Natalia replied confidently as she shook his hand. "I'm going to be seven in seven days." She told him with a smile as his eyes roamed over her approvingly._

 _He smiled. "You look like a very confident little girl."_

" _Thank you," Natalia replied happily before covering her mouth to yawn; her eyes closed for a few moments. She was still very tired. When she opened them again, Ivan was walking away from her._

 _He collected a metal briefcase and approached them again, looking at her father. Natalia looked up, watching the silent interaction._

" _What's that, Daddy?" She asked._

 _He looked down at her, his hand stroking her loose hair out of her face. "Medicine."_

" _For Mama and Daniil?"_

 _He nodded sadly and knelt down. "Yes, for Mama and Daniil." He confirmed. "Thalie, you are going to stay with Ivan for a little while- just while your mama and I sort a few things out, okay?"_

 _Natalia's eyes widened as the words sunk in. "No, I want to stay with you- and Mama and Daniil!" She launched forward, wrapping her little arms around his neck and holding onto him with all of her might._

 _Her father's strong arms enclosed around her protectively as he planted a soft kiss on her forehead before letting her go. "I will be back for you, Thalie, I promise. You won't get sick here like Mama and your little brother- you'll be safe."_

 _Natalia reluctantly let her dad unpeel her from him and watched him stand up and back away slightly. She looked up at Ivan when he offered her his hand and after a few long seconds of looking at her dad sadly, she accepted it. She didn't want to go with this strange man. She wanted to stay with her family; she didn't care if she got sick, too._

" _You have a month to pay in full or the swap is permanent." Ivan told her father._

 _He gave a firm nod before looking down at her. "I love you. Be good."_

" _I love you! Bye, Daddy," Natalia was lightly tugged to walk with Ivan and her little feet moved quickly to keep up. They came to a stop a few meters away and she turned and watched her dad walking away from her. She was shouting in her head for him to come back, to not leave her, but she remained silent and once he was out of view, she looked up at Ivan and allowed him to lead her into the building._

* * *

Natasha flew into a seated position, drops of sweat glistening on her forehead and cooling her back. Her heart rate and breathing were quicker and shallower, which was normal as she was pretty sure she had just had a nightmare. A nightmare of her dad selling her to Ivan. "What did he look like?" She questioned aloud, suddenly unable to remember his appearance- the dream was so vivid, but now her father was a blur.

"Who's Daniil?" Was her second question. She knew the dream couldn't have been true- her parents died in a fire and Ivan rescued and cared for her. Her father didn't trade her for medicine for her mom and Daniil. "Daniil, my little brother."

Shaking her head furiously, she slid out of bed, noticing the wet patch on the sheets from her sweat and tears- it was enough to halt her suddenly for a few minutes before she took a long and boiling hot shower.

Natasha told herself hundreds of times that it was just a dream. There was no way it could be real. Impossible.

Her parents were dead. Gone. No dreams were going to change that.

* * *

Natasha walked into the kitchen, half-dazed. She just couldn't get the dream out of her head- no, not dream, _nightmare._ To think that she had memories of her family was stupid- that's what the weak children believed; they believed they had a family that loved them. She knew differently. She was a _baby_ when Ivan took her- it wasn't possible for her to have memories, especially as a little girl.

"Nat?"

She looked up, slightly startled by Steve's voice in front of her.

"Are you okay? You look like you've barely slept." He commented.

"I'm fine… Just… wasn't able to sleep." She answered, planning on lying; she had woken up three hours after going to sleep and didn't even dare to close her eyes again- she didn't want to see that sort of fantasy.

Steve nodded slightly like he understood, but of course he didn't- how could he? "Did you want to try getting some sleep now?"

"No. I'm fine." Natasha replied, sitting down. "Are you ready to go over plans of how to train the recruits?"

Steve nodded placing a tablet on the table- it seemed Tony's tech lessons were paying off. "We don't need to worry about Rhodey and Sam that much as they both have training with their suits and without. Wanda needs the most, and Vision is completely new, so we need to find out what he can do."

Natasha glanced at the table on the screen. "If you wanted to work with Sam and Wanda today, I'll work with Vision and Rhodey. Do some… teamwork activities and some basic tests for what they can do?" She suggested. "Getting them to work as a team is just as important as building them as individuals."

"Agreed. We'll split up today, then. And when we do work individually with somebody, the other three- if they are here- should be doing something, too."

"Something together." Natasha agreed with him. "But one day at a time, right?"

"Right."

It seemed like timing was on their side as, at that precise moment, Vision walked in. "I wasn't aware that you two were awake."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:**

 **Hello! I see you are back for more? Yay!**

 **A few quick thank you's to those who have shown interest in the story so far:**

 **REVIEWS- FearlessRabbit.**

 **FOLLOWERS- AshGomora; 4shurlivnit32; Golden23; Red Sonja 88; Rev808; katiekatz27; maelsic; marcella369; pirateluvur.**

 **FAVS- Rev808; maelsic; marcella369.**

* * *

 _Natalia sat down on the bed- there were five other beds in her room- and looked around curiously. Her eyes lingered on the handcuffs at the head of the bed and the thin blankets on the equally thin mattress; maybe they were warmer than they looked? She wondered if there would be other children in the same room as her; maybe they were all waiting for their parents, too. Maybe this was like a camp. She pushed herself back onto the bed fully, where she had been told to wait, and crossed her legs._

 _Her hand covered her mouth as she yawned. She was still very tired; she and her father had walked a long, long way to get here. Sure, they travelled by cab for most of the journey, but they walked for at least five miles, which felt even longer to little Natalia._

 _She was told to remain on the bed, and she intended to- and that didn't mean she couldn't go to sleep. As she rested her head on the pillow, she fell straight to sleep._

* * *

Natasha sighed as she woke up, the images running through her head. As her dream self fell asleep, she awoke. Logically she knew that it was just a dream, but part of her felt like it was the truth- that it was really happening. If she closed her eyes and went back to sleep, then she would 'wake up' in the dream and have to continue the distorted version of what could have happened.

* * *

Natasha grunted as Rhodey's fist connected with her shoulder painfully and automatically grabbed his arm, throwing him over her shoulder and ready to snap it until Steve intervened.

"Nat! Stop."

She released him suddenly, as if he had just burnt her. "You left yourself open," she defended her actions before looking at Steve.

"No, he didn't." Steve countered before turning his attention to Rhodey. "You alright?"

Rhodey half scoffed, half laughed. "Of course." He replied with a bit of a cocky smile as he rolled his shoulder backwards. "I obviously didn't pull my arm back quick enough. Again?" He asked, turning his question to Natasha.

Natasha stepped away from them slightly, examining the room around them. It was clear that everybody felt Steve was overreacting- but she _had_ been about to break his arm. They just didn't know that. "No. I need a break." She decided before walking from the room.

She took a few deep breaths, angry at herself for not being able to keep it together. Two dreams. She had now had _two_ dreams- no, nightmares- about a past she _knew_ was impossible.

"Natasha." Steve's voice almost startled her as he joined her in the corridor- when had she stopped walking? "What's going on?"

She looked at him, suddenly very wary of the concerned expression on his face. "I'm fine, Steve."

"You don't look fine." Steve stated firmly, stopping in front of her. "We're partners. Talk to me."

Natasha looked up at him. They were technically partners, but to her, Clint was her only real partner. "I'm going to head to Clint's for a few days. I need to clear my head, that's all." She replied.

He gave her a nod, obviously not believing her, and took a step back. "I'll hold the fort until you get back."

She nodded. "Thanks." She turned away from him and continued down the hall, now having a destination, but before she turned the corner, she looked back at him to find him still watching her. Her lips turned upwards as she called back. "And he _did_ leave himself open." She caught his smile before she continued away from him.

* * *

Natasha landed the quinjet in the trees. After turning it off and sliding out of the cockpit, she took a second to consider if she should give Clint a forewarning of her arrival. Surprising Laura and the kids was a normal occurrence, but she'd never turned up without Clint knowing. She shrugged that off, deciding to surprise him, too, and hoping she didn't get shot.

As she approached the house silently, she saw some movement, a glint of an arrow- but it was gone before she had to take cover. Seconds later, Clint walked out of his front door. "I almost shot you!"

She rolled her eyes. "Now _why_ would you do a silly thing like that?"

They both ended up rolling their eyes before exchanging a quick hug. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Just needed to get away from the base. Do you mind?" Natasha asked, walking into his home without waiting for an answer- she knew what he would say anyway.

"Not at all; you're always welcome." Clint replied. She felt his hand on her arm, tugging her lightly to one side and turning her to face him- he obviously wanted to talk before the kids knew she was there. "What's going on, Nat?"

Natasha stared at him silently for a few moments, tempted to not answer his question. "I can't sleep… Wanda being in the same building is just- dreams." She answered, not quite finishing her sentences.

Clint nodded understandingly and released her- not that he had been holding her there. "Lila and Laura are baking, and Cooper is giving Nate a bath… I was helping with the latter."

She smirked at him. "Of course you were. Bring me Nate when he's clean." She ordered playfully before heading to the kitchen. Her lips curled up into a smile when she saw Lila sneak a hot cookie.

"Be careful, it's hot." Natasha lightly warned, informing them both of her presence.

Lila flinched away from the pile of cookies with a shy grin. "Sorry. I really wanted one." She admitted. Her expression morphed into a giant happy grin. "When did you get here?" She ran forward, cookie forgotten, and latched onto Natasha's waist. "You could have helped make the cookies!"

"I've just got here." Natasha replied with a small laugh, hugging the young girl back, slightly lifting her. She reached out and grabbed a cookie, taking a bite. "Mmm."

"Hey, I want one!" Lila exclaimed, snatching one for herself and stuffing it in her mouth. "'S goo'," she said through the mouthful. "Hoh', but goo'."

Natasha laughed, letting go of the young girl, who picked up a cup. "Too hot?" She questioned knowingly. "Hey, Laura, how are you?"

Laura smiled tiredly. "I'm pretty good- had to help get Nate to cooperate with Cooper." She explained. "That kid is a little too tempered for his own good sometimes…"

Lila handed her mother a cookie. "They turned out really well!" She said cheerily. "Right, Aunt Nat?"

"Right- they're delicious." Natasha agreed. "Laura, did you want to get some rest? You look exhausted."

Laura took a bite of the cookie, gave Lila a smile, and turned back to Nat. "If you wouldn't mind… I'm sure Lila would love to play with you." She relented. Lila jumped excitedly.

"Yeah! Could we play dress-up, Aunt Nat? I got a new headband that matches my pink dress, and I got this really pretty makeup for Christmas!" She looked up at Natasha pleadingly.

"I'll hold down the fort." Natasha told Laura, sending her a smile before her attention turned to Lila. "Really? I don't believe you!" She teased.

Laura sent her a grateful look and disappeared up the stairs. Lila was laughing at Natasha and pulling on her sleeve. "C'mon, I'll show you! It's like grown-up makeup, but prettier!"

Natasha allowed herself to be pulled along. "I'm coming."

* * *

Natasha stretched her legs out, balancing them on the table as she watched Clint feed little Nathaniel. A small smile graced her lips. "Too bad he isn't like Lila- she started sleeping through the night by the time she was his age."

"Seriously. I'm starting to wonder if he's got super stamina." Clint concurred in exasperation when Nathaniel kicked his legs and waved his arms happily, the living personification of the word 'hyper'. "C'mon, Nate, cut it out!"

"Give him here; he just needs an Auntie Nat snuggle." Natasha said, holding out her arms expectantly.

Clint sighed but didn't argue, taking Nate out of his highchair and handing him to Nat. "Alright, but when he get too hyper for you, I'll take him back." He said, clearly implying that he thought she wouldn't succeed in calming the boy.

She took him gladly, laying him over her lap and gently patting his back to wind him. "I think I can handle a little baby, Clint. It's not rocket science." She replied sarcastically, her voice soft and smooth as she burped him. "You're tired, cranky and impatient- which is typical with a baby. I'm calm, relaxed and patient; therefore, I have a higher chance of success."

"Don't get technical with me," Clint muttered grumpily. "If you're so great at it, why don't you just become his full-time nanny? God knows I need the help."

A smirk graced her lips as she looked up at him confidently. "I think you and Laura have it covered- well, you will after she gets a good night's sleep. If you wanted to go sleep, I can keep an eye on the little guy for you."

Clint looked torn for a few moments before he finally sighed and slumped his shoulders in what was either defeat or relief- probably both. "Thanks." He said sincerely before trudging up the stairs, looking quite ready to collapse. "I'll take him back… later…" His voice drifted off as he seemed to be doing the same. By the time he'd reached the top step, he looked like he was asleep on his feet. Then he rounded the corner and was out of sight.

Natasha looked at the infant. "You can't talk, answer back, tell me what to do, pretend to be somebody you're not… you don't lie to me... you're the perfect person. Although the not dressing yourself, crying loudly in the middle of the night, not getting your own food- that might be a downside. What do you think?" She asked him as she picked him up and cradled him against her chest.

Nathaniel simply wiggled around, having no intention of going to sleep.

Natasha made herself comfortable, leaning back and patting his back lightly, keeping him securely and comfortably lying on her. It only took an hour for the young boy to give up and fall asleep.

She continued with her movements, allowing herself to rest her eyes- however, sleep pulled her back in. Sleep, which she had been avoiding.

* * *

 _Natalia's sleep lasted no longer than a few minutes when a hand rested on her shoulder. Her eyes shot open as she sat up, looking at the male with wide eyes. It took her a moment to remember where she was and who he was._

" _Now's not time for sleeping, little spider- it's almost morning," Ivan told her as he offered her a hand._

 _After a second of contemplation, she took his hand and slipped out of the bed, allowing herself to be led out of the room._

" _You cannot go anywhere without me, okay? If I leave you in a room, you wait there until I come back," Ivan informed her. "Do you understand?"_

" _Yes," Natalia replied, her curious eyes looking around as she kept up with him. He was walking at a nice and slow pace._

" _Good girl. Tomorrow we'll be going on a long journey to someplace else," he added as he led her into a dining room. "Take a seat."_

 _Natalia took a seat as directed. "Where are we going? And for how long?" She asked._

 _Ivan ignored her for a moment as he collected a bowl and spoon and placed them in front of her. It looked like porridge, and she picked up her spoon and began eating. "Don't ask questions."_

 _She looked at him, pausing her eating for a moment. "But… shouldn't I be here for when my dad comes back?"_

" _Little spider, your dad isn't coming back," Ivan told her softly, touching her shoulder. "He couldn't look after you- but I can. I will raise you and make sure you grow up healthy and strong."_

 _Natalia looked at him with disbelief and shook her head. "He wouldn't do that. He's my dad." She replied confidently, holding her head up high._

 _At his smirk, her eyes narrowed and a stubborn expression appeared on her face. "He's not coming back." He repeated._

" _Yes. He. Is." Natalia stated firmly. "You'll see. He said only a week or two, and then I'm going home."_

 _Ivan smiled slyly at her. "You can wait all you like, but you will never see him again." He walked away from her and she turned her head to see him exit the room._

" _I WILL SEE HIM AGAIN!" Natalia screamed after him, throwing her bowl of porridge at the door as a few tears fell down her cheek. She ran to the door, wanting to continue the conversation and make him know that her dad would be back, but it was locked. "Let me out! He_ will _be back!" She shouted through the door, beating her hands on it, but all that accomplished was upsetting her even more._

 _Eventually she returned to her seat, hungry, with no food, and tears falling down her cheeks freely and silently._

* * *

Natasha jerked awake, panting heavily, her cheeks wet with tears. She looked down at the still sleeping baby and sighed in relief. But other than making sure he was alright, she made no attempt to move- not even to dry her eyes.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Beta; ThisVioletofMine.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:**

 **Hello, I'm just going to get straight to the story!**

* * *

Natasha finished the braid on Lila's hair before watching her run off to play with her older brother. A smile graced her lips as she watched the two play their own little game.

"Do you want anything to drink, Nat?" Laura asked kindly as she sat on the sofa beside her.

She shook her head. "No, thank you, Laura."

Laura turned a little to watch her children as they wrestled. "What's bothering you, Nat?" She suddenly questioned, eyes still on the kids. "I can tell there's something going on that's bugging you- you're acting strange today."

"Just bad dreams. Or at least dreams that I don't want." Natasha answered. Maybe letting Laura and Clint get a full peaceful night's sleep was a bad idea- it meant that they now saw _everything_.

Laura smiled softly at her. "What are they about? You can tell me if you want." Her voice was full of understanding.

She looked at her, indecision evident; talking about them brought them out in the open- they wouldn't be there just when she closed her eyes, but whilst they were open too. Her eyes returned to the two children. "A distorted past. A lie that changes everything. A family who didn't die."

"And is this family… yours?" There was clearly curiosity in Laura's tone, but she also exuded saintlike patience and a maternal air that made her so very easy to talk to. And it was obvious that she _cared_.

"Yes." Natasha answered before elaborating. "A mother, a father… a little brother named Daniil."

Laura nodded. "I see. Do you know why these dreams are suddenly occurring? Has anything happened recently? Regarding your past?"

Natasha ran a hand down her face; these dreams were making her even more tired than not sleeping. "It's probably due to Wanda unleashing my deepest fears when she was sided with Ultron."

"Ah." Laura replied. "And… do you know if these are just dreams?" She probed.

Natasha scoffed. "Of course they are just dreams, Laura. My parents died in a fire when I was a baby- and I definitely have never had a brother." She replied, almost aggressively.

Laura backed off easily. "Alright, alright. But why are you losing sleep over them if they're completely untrue?"

"They are annoying; what if you kept having a dream about a child of yours that didn't exist?" Natasha questioned. "What if you kept dreaming that you forgot about… your parents, or your family? It's annoying and frustrating."

"I know, but everyone dreams rattling things sometimes- if it were totally a figment of your imagination, why would you keep having similar dreams? And why would you react so severely if it were just a dream?" Damn, Laura could be a psychologist.

Natasha stood up. "I think I _do_ need a drink now. Where does Clint hide the alcohol?"

Laura chuckled. "You know, when I said 'drink', I meant something you could drink in front of the children. Alcoholic beverages are restricted until after bedtime."

"Why do you think I declined?" She asked rhetorically. "And I'll find them myself, then." She decided, walking off and into the kitchen. She stopped and smirked. "Bedroom." With a roll of her eyes she walked up the stairs and easily found their stash of alcoholic beverages.

* * *

Natasha picked up Lila, who had fallen asleep on the couch, and carried her to her bed.

"I could have done that," Clint commented from behind her.

She offered him a glance before pulling the covers over the young girl. "Doesn't mean you have to." She replied after a few moments before turning to face him. "She's not that heavy." She added as an afterthought, feeling like she needed to defend her action as she slipped past him into the corridor.

He caught her arm, stopping her before she had the chance to get that far away from him. "That's not what I meant- you should be getting some rest."

"I'm fine."

"You're lying." Clint stated. Their eyes met, and the tension could be cut with a knife, but neither of them turned away. "Don't even consider denying it; I know you too well."

"Do you?" Natasha questioned, tilting her head to the side slightly. She leant forward, testing him, testing if he'd retract- if he did, then she won. She stopped; there barely a gap between them, and he clearly was not backing down- and damned if she did. "You don't." She answered her own question.

Clint's eyes hardened slightly as he challenged her; if possible, he moved closer to her. "Try me."

A noise to their side nearly made her move, nearly made her back away, but she held her ground. Clint was the one that leant back and turned to see what the noise was, and she followed his gaze to see Laura. Taking a step back, Natasha ignored the awkward atmosphere. "Good night." Without waiting for a response, she turned and made her way down the stairs. She stopped when she heard them talking.

"What was that?" Laura questioned.

"Nothing." Clint replied, his voice too calm and collected. "She's tired."

Laura hummed with disbelief. "I know." She replied.

When Natasha heard the footsteps, she quickly slipped into her room and laid down on the bed. It was probably wise to remain here for now. After a long while, and silence, she allowed herself to fall asleep- she couldn't simply walk around like a zombie.

* * *

" _When can I see my ma and pa?" Natalia demanded, crossing her arms angrily at Ivan, who stood in front of her._

 _He sighed, obviously fed up with the question. "Little spider, come sit with me." He spoke calmly as he sat down on the bed she usually occupied. She joined him obediently, keeping her little arms crossed. "Your parents are dead."_

" _What! No they're not! You're lying!" Natalia accused, standing back up. However, she didn't get far as Ivan's large hand grabbed her arm and pulled her violently onto his lap. He held her still._

" _They are dead. They died in a fire when you were a baby."_

 _Natasha tried to wiggle out of his hold. "No they didn't! My dad dropped me off here a few weeks ago! He's not dead!"_

 _Ivan shook his head. "No, he didn't. You are mistaken."_

" _No, I'm not!" Natalia screamed. "Let me go!" Her legs and arms waved around as she tried to escape from Ivan, but it was useless._

* * *

Natasha jumped up, her gun out and pointed. Her eyes scanned the room only to realise that she was alone. However, that didn't calm her- if anything, it made her more suspicious. She took cautious steps through the room as she collected her things; she needed to leave _right_ _now_. Pivoting on the point at a noise, her eyes found Clint at the same time that her gun did.

With a careless raise of his hands in surrender, he spoke. "Don't shoot; just me."

"I have to go, I have to know." Natasha stated, holstering her gun as she threw on her jacket.

"Wait… what?" Clint asked dumbly as he became just as awake and alert and she was. "What's going on, Nat?"

She slung her bag over her shoulder, barely giving him a glance as she walked from the room. "Clint- everything is wrong. It's just not right and it's not adding up. But it does add up in my dreams- _that_ adds up. Maybe Wanda's mind tricks aren't really tricks. Either way, I need WiFi to figure it out and this place has the worst signal I have ever known."

"Natasha, calm down. You're not making any sense." Clint pleaded, following her out of his house.

She walked a few more steps before stopping and turning to face him. "It was a lie! All of it was a lie!"

"What was?"

"My parent's didn't die in a fire… at least, I don't think they did." Natasha sighed deeply. "That what they wanted me to believe, that I had no family… but they didn't die when Ivan took custody of me." She shook her head. She had been certain that the dreams were just that- dreams. But now she was questioning everything- maybe they were _memories_. And if they were, then she was going to find out the truth, her _real_ past and most importantly, what really happened to her parents. "I have to know, and I can't do it here."

Clint stepped forward, almost too close, but she held her ground. "What if you find out something you don't like?"

Natasha stepped closer to him, but he didn't move either. "Then at least I'll know the truth." With that, she turned and walked off; they both knew this was something she had to do, and that he couldn't go with her. But Tony, on the other hand, was just who she needed.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note!**

 **Thank you to the two who reviewed my previous chapter:** **Ninja0404 is a fanfiction geek; maelsic.**

 **:)**

* * *

Natasha spent the required minimum time to check the quinjet post-flight before exiting the vehicle. She was met with an oily and dirty Tony, who looked nothing more than surprised and confident.

"Miss me already?" He teased, wiping his hands on a towel.

"I didn't expect you to meet me on the roof." Natasha responded, ignoring his remark for the moment.

Tony smirked. "And I didn't expect company- I was making sure it wasn't an ugly surprise." She raised an eyebrow. "You're a beautiful surprise; what brings you here?"

Natasha walked towards him, both of them heading for the door to go back inside. "I need to use your computer and possibly hack into a few records."

"Sounds fun. Who are we hacking?" Tony questioned with thrill.

"Russian records of birth." Natasha answered. His expression was priceless, but it soon faded into a smirk.

"Ooh, does little Nat need information about her family?" Tony teased. Natasha sent a glare in his direction- mainly because that was _exactly_ what she needed. "Oh! Let's do this, then!" He added with more determination than before- this was more personal and he knew that.

They fell into silence as they made their way to his laboratory. Out of habit, he went to the computer and she stood to one side.

"I've never hacked the Russian Records; why aren't we just running a scan?"

"I may have been deleted from the records and given a new past identity." Natasha answered. After a second, she moved closer and budged him out of the way. "Allow me." Her fingers quickly glided across the keyboard, first typing in her details and sending a search. Without waiting for results, she opened a new search and did a general search for all girls born in Russia within a one year time frame- she was not trusting any information they had given her.

"Do you want…"

"No." Natasha answered. Stark shrugged and returned to whatever he was working on, which at first glance looked like a normal car- but she knew he was probably doing some 'iron man' adjustments to it. She turned her focus back to the screen as the number of girls born began increasing in hundreds.

Time to narrow the search. Younger brother. As she added that detail in, it began decreasing and increasing at the same time, but at least that narrowed it down slightly. She then focused on the girls; any record of them past eighteen years old would narrow it down- they couldn't be her. Driving records, marriage records, school records.

She returned to her original search and found the records that she had seen before- which clearly showed her parents had died when she was a baby. Taking the location and rough descriptions of her parents, she added that as a side category for her second search; this left her with three lists. Taking all of the 'Natalia Romanovas' from the first list, she quickly examined them. Half of them were definitely fake profiles made. However, one of them caught her eye.

Deceased at age eight. Pulling up that file, her heart almost stopped. Now that she had the added detail of having a younger brother, that changed everything. This could actually be her.

"Find anything?" Tony asked her.

"Possibly." Natasha answered.

Tony was by her side in a few seconds, taking over and pulling the file up on the holographic display. A photo appeared of a family; mother, father, little girl and baby boy. The little girl must have been five in that photo.

Within minutes, several more photos and information appeared. The disappearance and death of the little girl at age eight. The death of the mother a year later due to a disease. A science award for the boy.

"Their DNA is on record; want me to compare it?"

"What?" Natasha spluttered out. How was that possible? "Russia has their DNA?"

Tony shook his head. "No. We do; they live in America. He's a doctor- Dr. Daniil Romanova, and a donor."

Natasha looked back at the hologram, where a man stood there in scrubs. Surely he couldn't be older than 26. She was only 31 herself. "Do it."

"It'll take a while to get an official result." Tony informed her. "Why didn't you look into this before?"

She took a seat on the stool, the system running her DNA against a man who she might have never met. "I did look, but I've been having dreams about… a younger brother, parents who didn't die when I was a baby. I had to look into it again with those added details."

Tony cocked an eyebrow. "Those must be some _intense_ dreams to have Natasha Romanoff taking them seriously." He commented with a half-smile, half-smirk on his face.

"It's better to know." Natasha stated, looking at him. "I'm sure you'd do the same thing if you found out something else about your family."

"You mean other than the fact that devilish handsomeness is a Stark family trait?" He sent her a mischievous grin. "You're probably right."

Natasha looked at the screen from the corner of her eye but returned her focus to Tony when the scan wasn't finished. "You probably interrogated Steve when he joined the team, him having been personal friends with your father."

"'Personal friends'? More like Howard worshiped Steve. I could get that from my father, so asking Steve is pointless." Tony replied, expression souring a bit.

There was one thing Natasha could do, and that was read people in a heartbeat. It was obvious Tony's family was a touchy subject and she shouldn't continue it. "Where's Pepper?"

Tony watched the scanner absentmindedly for a few seconds before returning his gaze to her. "I think it was some sort of disaster relief program that she started- there's this huge benefit she's running and she specifically asked me not to go." He pulled a face. "Something about me getting drunk at a charity event and embarrassing her."

Natasha nodded. "If it makes you feel better, I'm glad you were here so I could use you."

"And don't I just _love_ being used?" Tony asked rhetorically, smirk returned.

"Don't I know it." Natasha commented, but instantly looked away from him when his computer beeped. She waited to see the 'negative' results- Red Room Girls didn't get happy endings- but found herself honestly surprised.

"It's a match. He's your brother." Tony confirmed what she saw on the computer.

Natasha stared at the photo again for a few seconds before looking at Tony, still not fully able to process it all. "Where is he?"

Tony was back to typing at his computer; there was only a slither of a thought as to why Tony didn't just get Jarvis to look, but that was dismissed. "He lives in Boston, Massachusetts."

"Send the address to my phone." Natasha practically ordered as she turned on the spot and headed out of the room.

Within a minute she found herself flying off and glaring at Tony, who joined her in the cockpit. "I hope you brought your suit, because I'm kicking you out."

"There's no way I'm missing this; besides, you need a friend." Tony replied smugly.

Natasha still wanted to boot his arse out of the quinjet, but he was right about one thing- she shouldn't be going alone. Of course, Tony wasn't her first choice, nor second, and probably not even third. However, he was there and he was as good as anybody.

* * *

Natasha and Tony walked up to the counter- well, more like strutted- and both waited a few seconds for the woman to look up. "We are here to see Daniil Romanova." Tony stated, as if there was a pre-set appointment, which there wasn't. Natasha gave a short nod, agreeing with him, as if that would reinforce his words.

"Well, Doctor Romanova is very busy- there was a car crash a few hours ago, and over ten people need emergency treatment…" The woman explained somewhat apologetically. "May I ask the reasoning of your visit? If you need a doctor, I think Doctor Kidd is on break, so she could help you…"

"We are prepared to wait for Doctor Romanova until he is free." Natasha informed the receptionist.

The woman looked surprised. "Are you family or close friends?" She asked confusedly. "He never mentioned any relatives."

"Like I said, Ma'am, we are willing to wait for him. It's about his sister." Natasha informed the woman. "Is there somewhere convenient for us to wait?"

"Oh, um, you can take a seat over there." She motioned to some plastic chairs by the far wall. "I'll see if he can spare a minute." She picked up a phone and held it to her ear, pushing a few buttons. "Doctor Romanova, please report to reception desk if available."

Natasha and Tony took a seat where requested. "You didn't tell me we would have to _wait_."

"I didn't invite you to come along; therefore, shut up." Natasha responded.

Tony, for once in his life, followed orders. For all of two seconds. "Why don't we just leave a number and grab a hotel until his shift is over?"

A tall, skinny man with dirty blonde hair, dressed in a stained labcoat, strolled over to the main desk. "What's wrong?" He asked, his words holding a light Russian accent.

"Those two over there want to talk to you… about your sister." The woman said, pointing them out. The man looked utterly surprised and turned to face them quickly.

"My… sister?" He muttered, sounding confused. He approached them hurriedly. "Who are you?" He asked, clearly trying to remain totally professional, but his curiosity still leaked through.

Tony opened his mouth to talk, probably blurting everything out, but closed it when she elbowed him in the ribs. Natasha pulled out a printed photograph. "Is this baby you, with your parents and older sister, Natalia?"

Doctor Romanova squinted at the picture. "Um… looks like it. Natalia… No one's mentioned her in years." He said, sadness tinting his tone. "What about my sister did you want to talk about, exactly? She died when I was young."

"There's a funny story about that. She's not dead." Tony responded with a smirk.

Natasha sighed; yes, it was a bad idea to _not_ throw Tony out of the quinjet when he walked on. "When you have a free moment, I was wondering if we could sit down and talk."

The doctor looked conflicted for a moment before nodding. "Alright, my shift ends in," he checked his watch, "twenty-eight minutes. We can talk then."

Natasha offered him a firm nod. "We'll wait here for you."

"Doctor! The patient is refusing the tetanus shot!" A nurse cried from across the room exasperatedly. Doctor Romanova sighed, bid them a quick goodbye, and rushed over, disappearing behind the thin Emergency Room divider curtains.

"If you speak a word to him today, I will tell Pepper the real reason you went to Peru last month." Natasha threatened.

Tony narrowed his eyes slightly before relenting. "You can be really evil sometimes; you'd ruin Pepper's surprise out of revenge?"

Natasha sat back down crossing her legs. "You don't care about your life enough for me to threaten you directly."

* * *

Forty minutes later, Natasha stood up when Daniil walked back over to them. Tony stood up, too, pretending that he hadn't been hacking the hospital from his phone.

"Alright, I'm off-duty. Sorry for taking so long; one of the patients went into cardiac arrest and there was no one else who could effectively take care of it." Daniil explained, already leading the way to an empty staff lounge. "We can talk in here."

Natasha and Tony followed him. "Thank you." She responded politely, going over her thousands of ideas of how to bring up the fact that _she_ was his sister.

Daniil went over to the counter and grabbed a water bottle and a bag of chips. "I hope you don't mind- I haven't eaten in ten hours." He said politely, sitting tiredly in one of the cushioned chairs and beginning to eat.

"Not at all." Natasha replied, watching his movements carefully.

"Good. Now, what's this all about? My sister… she was kidnapped and murdered when I was only a little child. Did you find out who did it?" Daniil quickly interrogated, formalities out of the way.

Tony took a seat, pulling out his phone again as Natasha addressed the doctor. "As my friend mentioned before, your sister is not dead. Yes, she was kidnapped, but her murder was faked." She answered truthfully.

Daniil paled, pausing in his eating and staring, shocked, at her. "W-what? Natalia is… is _alive_? Where has she been all these years? What happened to her? Why am I only now learning of this?" He questioned, words tripping over each other in his eagerness to learn the truth. "My sister… she's still out there…" This was muttered under his breath, as though he was still having trouble processing it.

"Until recently, she wasn't aware that she had a family. She was made to believe that they had died in a fire when she was… young. However, recent developments in… recently she discovered the truth. Which is why you are only finding out about this now." Natasha glanced over at Tony, who wasn't even pretending to play on his phone doing who-knows-what anymore as he watched them.

"But… she knows now? She… knows about me?" Daniil asked quietly.

She nodded, but upon realising he wasn't paying attention to her movements, decided that verbal responses were necessary. "Yes."

Daniil sat forward, small meal totally forgotten. "Where is she now, then? Can I see her?"

"What's to say you haven't already seen her?" Tony inputted.

"Stark." Natasha growled warningly.

"What?" Daniil asked, stunned and confused. "I… I have?" He visibly began searching his memories for some sliver of a memory involving his long-lost sister in his current life. It was clear to see when he came up empty.

Tony stood up, obviously ignoring Natasha's death glare. "Natalia, if you're not going to tell him _you're_ his sister, what's the point of us flying all the way out here?"

"So he can patch up the multiple knife marks I leave on your body for being a complete and utter arse." Natasha replied, not even wanting to see Daniil's reaction right now, for fear of what it would be.

Daniil made a choking sound. "N-Natalia? Y-you?"

"Привет, маленький брат." Natasha replied with a bow of her head.

"Сестра?" Daniil asked, sounding hopeful. "Неужели это ты?"

Even though they'd already established that she was, in fact, his sister, he seemed unable to fully grasp the notion. "Это я." She confirmed again.

Daniil looked torn between embracing her and bursting into tears. "I can't believe you're… here! After all this time!" He said shakily, studying her intently, eyes suspiciously wet.

Natasha took a breath and turned to Tony. "Get out." After a second he relented and walked from the room. She turned back to Daniil, taking a step forward. "You are so much taller than me." She observed before pulling him into a hug.

He quickly buried his face in her hair, returning the hug tightly. "You're so much shorter than I'd thought you would be." He somewhat-teased, breath hitching.

She wouldn't usually let people get away with commenting on her height- even Clint- but she just couldn't hold it against him. "I'm still your старшая сестра- remember that."

Daniil chuckled tearfully against the top of her head. "I never forgot."

Natasha didn't respond to that, because she _had_ forgotten. But right now, that didn't matter, because they were reunited.

 **The end**

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


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